The Alkimos Seawater Desalination Plant is set to become WA’s next major water source. 💧 This innovative project is on track to earn our first ‘Design & As-Built’ Infrastructure Sustainability Rating. 🌱 Designed with a circular economy approach, we're recycling, reusing, and repurposing materials to benefit our community and the environment.

Chemical hazards are those of disinfection by-products, leaching of piping materials and fittings, and water treatment chemicals.[6]

We are pulling back the curtain and celebrating some of the bold and innovative employees we have at Water Corporation, and how they are thriving in their roles. As part of our wider #EVP project, this new video series was developed to: 💧 Raise awareness and consideration of Water Corporation as an employer of choice 💧 Articulate a compelling EVP that will attract and retain exceptional talent at Water Corporation 💧 Be authentic, but demonstrate that we are an organisation with aspirations 💧 Showcase real employees – we have so many people here worth celebrating everyday. There are 6 employees featured, 45 extras and even the voice over is our own Anna Anagno 💧 Ground it in our research and EVP proposition, aligning to our Brand and Values 💧 Engage and attract a wide demographic so we can create a workforce that reflects the community we serve with the skills and knowledge to help us deliver on our strategy and purpose 💧 Drive real outcomes to create an engaged talent community and reduce time to hire 👏 Take a bow fabulous #WaterCorpLife team Anna Anagno, Helen Gormley, Amanda Kontor (and the whole Talent Team), Meg Rullo (and the Marketing & Digital team), and The Brand Agency who brought this to life, as well as all those in front and behind the camera! This was a true example of how we all worked as one to deliver on our promises. Kristina Botsis Adi Reddi Sehra Bhatia Stuart Buckett Chan Diu Tee J and Owen B

As water main work can disturb lead service lines, which can result in elevated lead levels in drinking water, it is recommended that when a water utility plans a water main renewal project, it should work with property owners to replace lead service lines as part of the project.[24]

When it is time for water main renewal, there are many considerations in choosing the method of renewal. This can be open-trench replacement or one of the pipeline rehabilitation methods. A few pipeline rehabilitation methods are pipe bursting, sliplining, and pipe lining.[20]

A dead end system has water mains along roads without a rectangular pattern. It is used for communities whose road networks are not regular. As there are no cross-connections between the mains, water can have less circulation and therefore stagnation may be a problem.[13]

When an in-situ rehabilitation method is used, one benefit is the lower cost, as there is no need to excavate along the entire water main pipeline. Only small pits are excavated to access the existing water main. The unavailability of the water main during the rehabilitation, however, requires building a temporary water bypass system to serve as the water main in the affected area.[21] A temporary water bypass system (known as temporary bypass piping[22]) should be carefully designed to ensure an adequate water supply to the customers in the project area. Water is taken from a feed hydrant into a temporary pipe. When the pipe crosses a driveway or a road, a cover or a cold patch should be put in place to allow cars to cross the temporary pipe. Temporary service connections to homes can be made to the temporary pipe. Among many ways to make a temporary connection, a common one is to connect the temporary service connection to a garden hose. The temporary pipe should also add temporary fire hydrants for fire protection.[23]

A ring system has a water main for each road, and there is a sub-main branched off the main to provide circulation to customers. This topology has some of the advantages of a grid system, but it is easier to determine sizing.[13]

The physical integrity includes concerns on the ability of the barriers to prevents contaminations from the external sources to get into water distribution systems. The deterioration can be caused by physical or chemical factors.[3]

Water distribution network is the term for the portion of a water distribution system up to the service points of bulk water consumers or demand nodes where many consumers are lumped together.[5] The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the term water transmission system for a network of pipes, generally in a tree-like structure, that is used to convey water from water treatment plants to service reservoirs, and uses the term water distribution system for a network of pipes that generally has a loop structure to supply water from the service reservoirs and balancing reservoirs to consumers.[6]

A radial system delivers water into multiple zones. At the center of each zone, water is delivered radially to the customers.[13]

The hydraulic integrity is an ability to maintain adequate water pressure inside the pipes throughout distribution systems. It also includes the circulation and length of time that the water travels within a distribution system which has impacts on the effectiveness of the disinfectants.[3]

Water quality deteriorate due to corrosion of metal pipe surfaces and connections in distribution systems. Pipe corrosion shows in water as color, taste and odor, any of which may cause health concerns.[17]

Storage facilities, or distribution reservoirs, provide clean drinking water storage (after required water treatment process) to ensure the system has enough water to service in response to fluctuating demands (service reservoirs), or to equalize the operating pressure (balancing reservoirs). They can also be temporarily used to serve fire fighting demands during a power outage. The following are types of distribution reservoirs:

Pipelines laid within public right of way called water mains are used to transport water within a distribution system. Large diameter water mains called primary feeders are used to connect between water treatment plants and service areas. Secondary feeders are connected between primary feeders and distributors. Distributors are water mains that are located near the water users, which also supply water to individual fire hydrants.[8] A service line is a small diameter pipe used to connect from a water main through a small tap to a water meter at user's location. There is a service valve (also known as curb stop) on the service line located near street curb to shut off water to the user's location.[9]

There's a lot to be proud of when you have a team of 4,000+ committed individuals. 💙 We recently released a video showing life at Water Corporation. It features a few of the incredible people behind our water, wastewater, and drainage services that play an essential role for the people of WA. Interested in joining the team? Learn more about careers with us on our website >> https://lnkd.in/gAkxTR_g #WaterCorpLife

Our drainage system diverts stormwater from over 400,000 hectares of land, preventing flooding and water logging for about 260,000 properties. 🌧️ 🙌 It consists of a network of natural watercourses, compensation basins, pump stations and pressure mains. 💧 Local councils also play a big part. They manage most of the smaller drains (like street drains) in Perth's drainage network, which work together with our drainage system to help manage flooding.

We’re the principal supplier of water, wastewater and drainage services in Western Australia to hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and farms, as well as providing bulk water to farms for irrigation. Our services, projects and activities span over 2.6 million square kilometres. We have regional offices in Perth, Bunbury, Albany, Karratha, Geraldton, Northam and Kalgoorlie which allow our employees to provide a high level of professional expertise to customers. We have over 3,500 employees and manage an asset base of over $37 billion in water supply, wastewater, drainage infrastructure and bulk water for irrigation. We’re owned by the Western Australian Government and are accountable to our sole shareholder, the Minister for Water, for delivery of our services in a commercial manner. Most of our surplus is returned to the government as a dividend to contribute to the development of the state, with the remainder reinvested in capital works. Water Corporation was created in January 1996, in a restructure of the water industry in Western Australia. The Water Authority in turn had been created in 1985 through a merger of the former Metropolitan Water Authority, which operated in Perth, the state capital, and the water and wastewater operations of the former WA Public Works Department. We’re the seventh successive agency to deal with these services in Perth, Western Australia. We're evolving... Living on the world’s driest continent, the biggest challenge we face is reducing the impact of climate change. It’s never been more important to work collaboratively with government, industry, and the community, to secure our water future and take care of our home state. To support these efforts, our vision focuses on our operations having the lowest possible environmental impact, are safe for all, and are delivered at the lowest total cost.

The CEED student program is a research collaboration with The University of Western Australia and Curtin University, connecting students, academics, and industry. 🎓 We’ve partnered with CEED for over 15 years, building strong relationships and empowering our team to find better business solutions. This year we hosted nine of the programs 42 students, our largest group of scholars yet. 💪

Since 2017, Splash of Colour has breathed new life into over 80 essential water and wastewater assets across WA. 🙌 🎨 Teaming up with local artists and community groups, we’re making our communities brighter and more beautiful with vibrant artworks that celebrate and connect us to our water cycle. 💧 Check out the Perth Vibes website to learn more. 👇 #SplashOfColourWA

Our Mental Health Champions are helping make mental wellbeing a top priority for everyone in our workforce. 👐 This dedicated network of employees has been specially trained to recognise when a colleague may be in need of support and how to step in with compassion and care. The program has been in place since 2020 and is a crucial part of our commitment to creating a healthy workplace. We now have 318 active Champions ready to lend a hand when needed. #MHW2024 #WorldMentalHealthDay #WaterCorpLife

I usually try and hide behind the camera, scanner, or drone but I recently got in front of it instead for the Water Corporation’s talent attraction video.   It’s fantastic being part of an organization that does such important work, and it was a great opportunity to be involved.   Watch the full video below. If you want to learn about careers at Water Corp, visit the website https://lnkd.in/gDC5VzP5 . I’m also happy to have a chat at any time.   #WaterCorpLife https://lnkd.in/g7jJ5iGx

The water quality integrity is a control of degradations as the water travels through distribution systems. The impacts of water quality can be caused by physical or hydraulic integrity factors. The water quality degradations can also take place within the distribution systems such as microorganism growth, nitrification, and internal corrosion of the pipes.[3]

After water mains are in service for a long time, there will be deterioration in structural, water quality, and hydraulic performance. Structural deterioration may be caused by many factors. Metal-based pipes develop internal and external corrosion, causing the pipe walls to thin or degrade. They can eventually leak or burst. Cement-based pipes are subject to cement matrix and reinforced steel deterioration. All pipes are subject to joint failures. Water quality deterioration includes scaling, sedimentation, and biofilm formation. Scaling is the formation of hard deposits on the interior wall of pipes. This can be a by-product of pipe corrosion combined with calcium in the water, which is called tuberculation. Sedimentation is when solids settle within the pipes, usually at recesses between scaling build-ups. When there is a change in the velocity of water flow (such as sudden use of a fire hydrant), the settled solids will be stirred up, causing water to be discolored. Biofilms can develop in highly scaled and thus rough-surfaced pipes where bacteria are allowed to grow, as the higher the roughness of the interior wall, the harder it is for disinfectant to kill the bacteria on the surface of the pipe wall. Hydraulic deterioration that affects pressures and flows can be a result of other deterioration that obstructs the water flow.[20]

There are several bodies around the world that create standards to limit hazards in the distribution systems: NSF International in North America; European Committee for Standardization, British Standards Institution and Umweltbundesamt in Europe; Japanese Standards Association in Asia; Standards Australia in Australia; and Brazilian National Standards Organization in Brazil.[6]

A grid system follows the general layout of the road grid with water mains and branches connected in rectangles. With this topology, water can be supplied from several directions allowing good water circulation and redundancy if a section of the network has broken down. Drawbacks of this topology include difficulty sizing the system.[13]

Health issues relate to releases of trace metals such as lead, copper or cadmium into the water. Lead exposure can cause delays in physical and mental development in children. Long term exposure to copper may cause liver and kidney damage. High or long term exposure of cadmium may cause damage to various organs. Corrosion of iron pipes causes rusty or red water. Corrosion of zinc and iron pipes can cause metallic taste.[17]

I recently had the opportunity to take an afternoon out of my normal working day to be a part of Water Corporation's talent attraction video. Thankfully, no acting skills were required, but it did give me an opportunity to reflect on my six years here. As an organisation that provides such critical services to the community, it's easy to connect with the purpose of Water Corporation. The work is interesting and challenging and I have been so fortunate for all the opportunities I have had whilst here, all while balancing my time in the office with life (the elusive balance!). I've said it before, but if you're looking for a new challenge and not sure whether a GTE might suit you, watch this video and please feel free to get in touch. With special thanks to my family, friends and colleagues that all so graciously took part in this video, too.

Last month we opened our doors to eight infrastructure product suppliers for our first ever Sustainable Supplier Showcase. 🙌 🌱 ♻️ It gave our teams the opportunity to talk first-hand with suppliers about their innovative products and services. This included low carbon concrete, synthetic fibre concrete reinforcement, geosynthetics, renewable onsite power systems, environmental product declarations and construction waste recycling. We’ve been working hard to reduce our emissions and are continuing to explore ways to reduce those resulting from building and maintaining assets, collecting and transporting water, and safely reusing or disposing of wastewater. 💧 The showcase provided a great opportunity to learn what suppliers are doing to improve the sustainability of their products and reinforced the importance of working with our suppliers to reduce carbon impacts associated with our assets. BarChip Inc. Geofabrics Australasia Holcim Australia Makinex Steel Mains WA Recycling Pty Ltd Xypex Australia: Ecological Resilience Supports Long-Lasting Concrete Infrastructure

Storage facilities are typically located at the center of the service locations. Being at the central location reduces the length of the water mains to the services locations. This reduces the friction loss when water is transported over a water main.[4]

A water distribution system is a part of water supply network with components that carry potable water from a centralized treatment plant or wells to consumers to satisfy residential, commercial, industrial and fire fighting requirements.[3][4]

Various techniques can be used to control internal corrosion, for example, pH level adjustment, adjustment of carbonate and calcium to create calcium carbonate as pipe surface coating, and applying a corrosion inhibitor. For example, phosphate products that form films over pipe surfaces is a type of corrosion inhibitor. This reduces the chance of leaching of trace metals from the pipe materials into the water.[18]

Physical hazards include turbidity of water, odors, colors, scales which are buildups of materials inside the pipes from corrosions, and sediment resuspension.[6]

Most microorganisms are harmless within water distribution systems. However, when infectious microorganisms enter the systems, they form biofilms and create microbial hazards to the users. Biofilms are usually formed near the end of the distribution where the water circulation is low. This supports their growth and makes disinfection agents less effective. Common microbial hazards in distribution systems come from contamination of human faecal pathogens and parasites which enter the systems through cross-connections, breaks, water main works, and open storage tanks.[6]

Analyses are done to assist in design, operation, maintenance and optimization of water distribution systems. There are two main types of analyses: hydraulic, and water quality behavior as it flows through a water distribution system.[14] Optimizing the design of water distribution networks is a complex task. However, a large number of methods have already been proposed, mainly based on metaheuristics.[15] Employing mathematical optimization techniques can lead to substantial construction savings in these kinds of infrastructures.[16]

Meet Rachael, a Customer Service Consultant in our contact centre. 📞 Her team speaks with customers from all walks of life with different needs and questions. Whether you have an account or billing query, or are finding it hard to pay your bill, the dedicated team in our contact centre is here to help. 🧑💼 #CustomerServiceWeek Interested in working with us? Check out our careers page >> https://lnkd.in/gAkxTR_g

Lead contamination in drinking water can be from leaching of lead that was used in old water mains, service lines, pipe joints, plumbing fittings and fixtures. According to WHO, the most significant contributor of lead in water in many countries is the lead service line.[6]

Hydrant flushing is the scheduled release of water from fire hydrants or special flushing hydrants to purge iron and other mineral deposits from a water main. Another benefit of using fire hydrants for water main flushing is to test whether water is supplied to fire hydrants at adequate pressure for fire fighting. During hydrant flushing, consumers may notice rust color in their water as iron and mineral deposits are stirred up in the process.[19]